Although liquid metering and dosage devices are not new per se, none has heretofore been provided which is suitable for use in connection with the dispensing of household products such as liquid laundry detergent, for example, from relatively large containers.
Accordingly, one important object of the present invention is to provide a metering dosage dispenser which is quick, convenient, and easy to use and which is well-suited for use with liquid laundry detergents and other household liquid products wherein it is desired to dispense measured, uniform amounts of the product during each actuation.
In this respect, the present invention contemplates a metering device having one part which is tightly secured to the open neck of a container having product to be dispensed. This immovable part generally adapts a second movable part of the device for actuation between open and closed positions during which product is alternately dispensed from the container and accumulated in a dosage accumulation chamber. A convenient operating skirt is provided on the device which circumscribes the neck of the container and enables the user to open and close the device without contacting products issuing from the container. Because of the configuration of the actuating skirt and the nature of the stopper valve which forms a part of the device at the outlet end thereof, the device provides an aesthetically pleasing appearance comparable to that of a conventional closure cap. Moreover, the lack of extraneous projecting portions on the device facilitates safe shipment, handling and storage and reduces the chance of breakage of the preferably plastic-molded components which comprise the device.
In its preferred forms, the device is spring-biased to a position in which its inlet valve is open so as to admit contents of the container into the dosage accumulation chamber when the device is merely in a standby condition awaiting use. When the device is then intentionally actuated against the spring pressure, the inlet is closed and the outlet is opened so as to discharge the accumulated dose while preventing the formation of an open escape path for the remaining products in the interior of the container. Alternative spring configurations and locations are provided in connection with this approach.
An alternative embodiment of the invention spring-biases the device to a condition in which its inlet from the container is closed while its outlet for dosage discharge is open. Thus, upon user actuation, the device must first be shifted to a position opening the inlet of the dosage accumulation chamber and held in such a position for a short duration, whereupon release of the device enables the spring means to close the product inlet and open the outlet thereof for release of the accumulated dose.